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3 John 1:6

Walking Worthy Of God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 13, 2023

Diotrephes was a church leader that rejected the authority of John, Paul, and most likely the other apostles. He caused a split in the Church that met at Gaius’ house. The problem could very well have been a theological one regarding the nature of Christ. John’s main conflicts involved the gnostic view that Jesus was just a man upon whom came the spirit of Christ, the Messiah. John and the others taught that Jesus came in the flesh and was born of a woman impregnated by the Holy Spirit. The two leaders of the division seem to be the divisive Diotrephes and the faithful follower of John, Gaius. We don’t know who this Gaius is, but according to one blogger, “According to tradition, this Gaius may be the one whom John appointed as bishop of Pergamum.”[1] Regardless, John commends Gaius for his faithfulness to the truth of the Gospel, and John mentions that he has a great reputation among Christians all over the area. In 3 John 1:5-6, he says, “Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.”

They showed their hospitality and acceptance of those who were sent to the church by John rather than rejecting them and their message as Diotrephes did. John recommends that they continue such gracious hospitality even when the visitors move on. He tells them it will be good for them to send them off well. Most commentators like to relate the visitors John is writing about to modern missionaries traveling from church to church to raise support. Richison has an interesting comparison. He writes, “Motivation for ministry should be outgoing love that is self-giving and spontaneous. People who truly love God do not begrudge giving to the cause of Christ. They willingly invite speakers and missionaries into their homes, serve them a good meal, and get to know their specific needs. They also willingly help in practical ways, such as driving a visiting speaker to the airport and making sure he has something to eat.”[2] I don’t think John was recommending that Gaius “drive” his visitors to the “airport,” but I understand the principle that Richison thinks is being promoted here.

Whatever the specifics are in this case, John wants it done in a “manner worthy of God.” There are many comments about what it might mean for Gaius to send out the visitors “In a manner worthy of God.” I think Wright has the right idea. He says, “That means, in such a way, that one can look up to God and expect his approval. Or, in such a way, we would do it if it were Jesus himself whom we were sending on his way. What would we not do for him? Would such a perspective and such an ideal not transform the way we make provision for the sending out of mission partners, whether as churches or as mission agencies?” Wright then concludes, “Third John 6 should be written as a motto on the walls, desk calendars, or computer screens of all those with responsibility for the sending of people in mission, in churches or mission agencies, or in training institutions.”[3] Yet, it’s important to remember that one cannot merit God’s favor. There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve God’s love. He gives that freely, and it comes to us through the channel of our faith in Jesus. After commenting on living a life “worthy of God,” John Piper says, “So think this way. Not: I must have faith and love so as to be worth God’s favor; But rather: God’s favor is free and it is infinitely worth trusting. Walking worthy of that favor means walking by faith because faith is the one thing that agrees with (and fits) our bankruptcy and God’s infinite ‘worth.’ Looking to God’s infinite worth for our help and satisfaction is ‘walking worthy of God.’[4] God is worthy. I am not. To walk worthy is to walk with a clear understanding and appreciation of God’s worth. I have faith, or believe, in the worthiness of Christ.

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/Gaius-in-the-Bible.html

[2] Richison, Grant. 2006. Verse by Verse through the Books of 1, 2 & 3 John. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems.

[3] Wright, Christopher J. H. 2010. The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission. Biblical Theology for Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[4] Piper, John. 2005. Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers.

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2 John 1:6

In The Same Boat

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 12, 2023

John reminds us that walking in the truth means living our lives and realizing our culpability before God. As Isaiah says, and Paul agrees, no one is righteous and never sins. That person just doesn’t exist. The story of Diogenes and what most people remember about him is that he wandered around ancient Greece carrying a lantern, searching for an honest man, which he never found. He did this to prove his point that there was no such thing. I’m wondering if Diogenes had read the book of Isaiah. Instead of trying to look for someone righteous, John tells us to walk around in the truth of our own sinfulness. That will enable us to love even the other sinners around us. If you walk in love, you will keep the commandments from the heart, not from the works of the flesh. Thus, God will remove the heart of stone and replace it with a truly human heart with its flaws and failures. It’s a matter of love, not law. So, John continues this subject in 2 John 1:6 when he says, “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning so that you should walk in it.”

The New Testament makes a big deal about understanding the importance of love for God and others. Jesus named these two as the most important of all the commandments. He said that all the rest of the laws either depend on them or are suspended from them.  In this verse, John wants us to understand that we shouldn’t walk around in life searching for righteousness in others. Like Diogenes, you’ll live a very disappointing life. But if you walk in the truth of your own sinfulness, understanding that God loves you anyway, you too will be able to love others in spite of their failures and frailties. God loves sinners. As both John the Baptist and Jesus preached, the first step in the Christian life is to repent. That doesn’t mean to say you are sorry for something you did wrong. That’s confession. We should confess to God for forgiveness of that sin and to others we have wronged to find healing in our relationships. Repentance is different. One blogger explained the idea pretty well. He said, “I am a sinner.  If you don’t know that about me, then you don’t really know me.  I am a sinner by birth (Rom. 5:12-18; Ps. 51:5), by nature (Rom. 7:19-21; Eph. 2:3), and by choice (1 Kings 8:46; Rom. 3:9-18).  You are a sinner.  Suppose you don’t know that about yourself, then you don’t really know yourself.  God loves sinners.  If you don’t know that about God, then you don’t really know God.”[1]

We are all sinners before we are saved and after we are saved. Johnny Cash once did an album called American Recordings. On the album cover is a picture of two dogs. One dog is black with a white stripe. The other dog is white with a black stripe. The two dogs are meant to say something about Johnny Cash. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Cash explains what the two dogs mean. “Their names are Sin and Redemption. Sin is the black one with the white stripe; Redemption is the white one with the black stripe.” Before salvation, sin has not totally destroyed the image of God in which we have been created. There’s still a white stripe to which the Gospel is always appealing. After redemption, a black stripe of sin remains, and we constantly battle it. We are all sinners who need to be redeemed. We all need Jesus.[2] If we fall prey to the false teaching that we no longer sin after coming to faith in Jesus, we will find it’s nearly impossible to love other sinners. We become the pharisee who looks down upon the sinner at the time of prayer at the temple. We become Diogenes looking for perfect people. We judge others in every part of their lives according to our victories or priorities while ignoring our own weaknesses. Only Jesus was perfect. I am a sinner. You are a sinner. When we both see ourselves as God sees us, we can have fellowship with each other. We are all in the same boat. A true Christian has two things in common that foster healthy relationships. First, he is a sinner. Second, he believes Jesus died for his sins. We are pulling on these two oars in our boat as we cruise through life.

[1] I am a sinner – Thinking on Scripture

[2] Larson, Craig Brian. 2002. 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers & Writers. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

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2 Corinthians 5:20, Isaiah 33:7

Ambassadors Of Peace On Earth

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 11, 2023

I’ve been watching the News more than I should this week. Hamas has set its heart on the destruction of Israel. Pharoah did it in Egypt. God responded with plagues and destruction of the entire army in the Red Sea. Hitler tried it in Germany, and God responded with total destruction of the Nazi Regime. The hatred of the Jews has been a theme throughout history. The two mentioned are just the most famous episodes. There have been other attempts to eradicate Israel from the face of the Earth. As I watched the News, saw some of the scenes of devastation, and heard the report of total disregard for the lives of innocent women and children, I couldn’t help but remember what the Prophet Isaiah foretold about the Nation of Israel. Isaiah 33:7-8 says, “Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases. The enemy has broken the covenant. He has despised the cities and the witnesses. He regards no man.”

In the Middle East, two religions are at war. Judaism is at war with Islam. Islam is at war with Judaism. They will fight each other to the death for the sake of their religion. I wish the world would understand that Jesus did not come to set up another competing religion, which is the way the world shapes the struggle. The world presents Christianity as the third religion in the world, alongside Judaism and Islam. Jesus came to reconcile the world to God, not to add another player to the world scene. God sent Jesus to be the mediator, the representative who would reconcile sinful man to a holy God. His task was accomplished when he said, “It is finished,” before he died on the cross. We now have been given the task of being God’s spokesman for this wonderful message. Paul makes this perfectly clear in 2 Corinthians 5:20 when he says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you, on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God.”

Notice the emotion connected with the plea. It says, “We implore you.” This is a passionate plea. Instead of killing people in the name of religion, Jesus pleads with the whole world to set aside their cultural and religious differences. There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile or any other distinction that pits one group against another. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s plan for man. The passive voice of the verb must be translated as “be reconciled.” It’s to receive God’s offer, not to make a contrary offer. There’s no negotiation in God’s offer of peace. This is a passionate offer of peace because peace with God is the result of reconciliation. The atoning, substitutionary death of Christ brings reconciliation and peace with God.  Beautifully, the promise of this peace was made long ago by the prophet who condemns us for our sins. Isaiah says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” As Ambassadors, we’ve been entrusted with the most wonderful message in the world.  The Angel announced it at Jesus’ birth, “Peace on Earth.”

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1 John 1:6

The Light Of The World

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 11, 2023

Jesus is the light of the world, according to John. He says as much in both his Gospel and his epistles. Living in the light is living in the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The light is living in the knowledge of our eternal destiny. God created us in His own image, and we have meaning, purpose, and an eternal destiny. Living in the darkness is to live in the moment for the here and the now. Like Satan, those living in the dark only take their nourishment from the earth. Their appetites are only fleshly and earth-bound. When God cursed the serpent, he would crawl along with his belly on the ground. His diet would be the dust of the ground. Those that are deceived by Satan draw their nourishment only for their flesh. But in Christ, our appetites are spiritual and eternal. It is only in the light that we can have fellowship with Christ. Living in the dark recesses of our flesh destroys our walk with Christ. John says in 1 John 1:6, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” In John’s gospel, Jesus claimed to be the “light of the world.” In the opening Chapter of that gospel, John informs us that the light of the world came into the world, and the world would not accept it. It could not, however, extinguish it either. John then adds, “But to those who receive Him, to them, God gives the power to become children of God.”

Receiving Jesus is a step into the light. It is also a step into the truth. Jesus also told us that he was the way, the truth, and the life. Many, if not most, commentators consider this passage to be about how allowing sin in our lives is what John means by walking in darkness. Obviously, a person living and preaching license to live any way the flesh might draw us is promoting the feeding of our earthly appetites. That’s walking in darkness, not walking in the light. Those who proclaim to be Christians and support and have “pride” in an immoral lifestyle are surely walking in darkness and are not practicing the truth. To reject the moral standards taught in the Bible and then claim to be a follower of God is inconsistent with the truth. “God accomplishes His will on earth through truth, and Satan accomplishes his purposes on earth through lies.” As the father of lies, Satan wreaks havoc on families.  Every time there is destruction among God’s people, it’s because the deceiver has been allowed to have just a little bit of a foothold in someone’s life. Today, the spirit of deception is rampant. But let’s not forget that in the midst of this problem, there is Jesus. In the midst of the deception, there is the Truth. In the midst of all of the seduction of our society, there is the absolute, rock-solid person of the Lord Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we put our trust in Him, we can live above deception and on the level of truth.”[1]

I don’t want to miss the fact that many who profess to be Christians have not truly believed in the Son of God as we find Him in the Bible. “Historically, Christians have believed that Jesus is nothing less than the incarnate Son of God in whom the fullness of the Deity dwells in human form; fully divine and fully human– the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Recent evidence suggests that what Christians have historically affirmed is now up for grabs. A surprising number of Christians, including evangelicals, are not convinced of Jesus’ unique nature.” The current religious diversity practices have diluted Jesus’s person and work. He is the truth! Paul warned the Galatians about believing in or embracing “another gospel.” Even if an angel would tell you, or if someone proclaiming to be Paul would proclaim a gospel different from the one proclaimed at the beginning, you should not accept it. It is the church’s calling to continue to bear witness to Jesus and demonstrate the significance of his person for the whole fabric of the Christian faith. If we fail to stand fast here, everything else will be in vain, and the Christian church will lose its bearings.”[2]

[1] Jeremiah, David. 2002. Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God. Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers.

[2] Sailer, William, J. Creighton Christman, David C. Greulich, Harold P. Scanlin, Stephen J. Lennox, and Phillip Guistwite. 2012. Religious and Theological Abstracts. Myerstown, PA: Religious and Theological Abstracts.

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2 Peter 1:3, various

To God Be The Glory

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 10, 2023

On the basis of God’s unconditional love, he has given us life. He made us simply because he loves us. And in this life, He has also provided all the things we need. Peter tells us at the end of 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

 God has given us all we need for temporal and eternal life. Both are free gifts. Both have been granted to us through His divine power. Temporal life is given to us before we are born. God weaves us together in our mother’s wombs. In Psalm 139:13-14, the Psalmist sings about it, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” God brought forth the gift of life from our mother’s wombs. In Psalm 71, Another Psalmist says, “Upon you, I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.” It is the power of God that brings about our temporal lives. God’s power provides all we need for our lives on earth as long as we live. As children of faith, children of Abraham, we see God’s power from before time began until the day we leave this world. Isaiah 46:3-4 speaks for God, “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” Jesus tells us that he not only wants us to have life but also says in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Peter wants us to understand that the life we have been given is not only in this world but into eternity.

When Nicodemus was talking with Jesus, he was told that he must be born again to receive eternal life. He replied in John 3:4, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” We receive our physical life by passing through our mother’s birth canal. As we are born through the birth canal of our mothers by the power of God, we are also born again through the birth canal of faith into spiritual life by the power of God. In His further conversation with Nicodemus, he said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.” Both our physical existence and eternal life awaiting us are produced solely by the power of God. That’s why the Psalmist can always praise God’s glory for his life. Our lives in every capacity result in the praise of His Glory. We get no credit for our temporal life or the eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus. They are both gifts from God. In Acts 17:24-25, Paul says, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

 

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1 Peter 1:5-6, Hebrews 12:1-2

Finding Joy Amidst Trials

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 9, 2023

I heard a recent sermon in which the preacher said, “Heaven is not the default destiny for all believers.” I held my breath in my disbelief. That’s a blatant contradiction of what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:16. “God so loved the world that He gave his only son so that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life.” Then John writes in his first epistle, “I have written these things to you who believe so that you would know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). If we cannot have certainty regarding our heavenly destiny, Jesus did not bring “Good News.” Instead, he established another religion where a man could try to earn or deserve heaven through hard work. This is not something we can rejoice over. But Peter wants us to know that the truth of our destiny gives us joy. In 1 Peter 1:5-6, he says, “Who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this, you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials.”

The Lord’s coming to us, or our going to Him, is something we should be confident of. Not because our faith is so strong. Rather, it’s because God is the one guarding the salvation of all believers. I’m not strong enough. I struggle at times with fear and even have sharp pangs of doubt. I do get over them, but they come. I could never rejoice over my own strength, but I have no problem finding joy in the Good News of salvation by grace through faith alone. It is based on God’s work on my behalf, not on my work on His behalf. I would not be able to find any joy in that. But I can rejoice in God’s power to secure my eternal destiny. I think McGee is right, “Every believer is eternally secure. But it is possible for a person to be saved and not have the assurance of it. May I say that a believer who is saved and does not have assurance is a subnormal or an unnatural believer. Certainly he can be a believer, but God does want us to have the assurance of our salvation.”[1]

Peter also knows that life’s trials, temptations, and pains can upset our joy in the present. We might even be shaken in our certainty of God’s love and begin to doubt. But Peter wants us to know that these trials are only for a short time. They will not last forever, but God guarantees and guards our salvation to last forever.  Richison concludes, “God guards us throughout our earthly pilgrimage. There is never a moment when God does not guard our inheritance. God always keeps those he saves. We can never lose our salvation. If we are a Christian, we are eternally secure.” He then adds, “The joy of the believer rests in God’s grace. Joy is independent of circumstances because the Christian life transcends circumstances. The Christian has an eternal future. He will never lose this joy no matter what comes his way. True joy comes from eternal possessions. Peter rejoices in his possession in Christ Jesus.”[2] We look forward to our joy with Jesus and all the saints. This helps us find joy even when we’re going through trials and hardships in life. The Epistle to the Hebrews writer insists that we gain motivation to be strong through life’s trials by following Jesus’ example. He writes in Hebrews 12:1:2, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.”

[1] McGee, J. Vernon. 1996. Doctrine for Difficult Days. Thomas Nelson.

[2] Richison, Grant. 2006. Verse by Verse through the Books of 1 & 2 Peter. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems.

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James 1:7-8, 4:8

The Double-Minded Man

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 8, 2023

We are called to trust in the one to whom we offer our prayers. We are not to trust in a particular outcome. We do not know what the future holds. We are not omniscient like our God. He sees the beginning and the ending of all things in our lives. James calls us to trust in the goodness of love of our God. Isaiah tells us that God will keep the one whose mind is anchored to God at perfect peace because that man trusts God. Those who let the trials and temptations of life shake their confidence in God’s love will not know peace. James tells us in Chapter 1, Verses 7 and 8, “For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” The Law of non-contradiction tells us that A cannot be non-A at the same time. You cannot trust God and doubt God at the same time. No matter how a particular problem comes out, we will always be cast to and fro by the storms of life. One web blog says, “We cannot be both ‘certain’ and doubting, as is the double-minded person. One part of his mind is sure of something, while the other part doubts. It brings to mind the “pushmi-pullyu” of the Dr. Doolittle stories, an animal with a head at either end of its body and which was constantly trying to walk in two directions at once. Such is the double-minded man.”[1]

The double-minded man reminds me of a deer that got caught in my headlights. I was driving to Blair, Nebraska, from Omaha late one night, and a deer appeared ahead of me, just starting to cross the road from the right to the left. When he got to the middle of the road, he saw my headlights, changed his mind, and returned. When he left my headlights, he changed his mind again and went to cross the road again. Thankfully, I saw him far enough ahead of me, and there was no traffic, so I could slow down enough for him to finally get across the road safely. I can’t help but think that this is why we see so many dead deer on the side of the highways. Indecision is very dangerous. An agnostic author recently wrote a book called “The Divinity of Doubt.” He argues that doubt is a good thing. I know a man going through a serious trial in his life that took this book, vodka, and a gun to a hotel room and killed himself. Doubt is a very dangerous thing.

There’s more than one kind of doubt, though. Hardcore doubt rejects the existence of God. Adrian Rogers preaches on the cure for this kind of doubt. He says, “There’s a perfect cure for doubt. Do you know what it is? Time—time. There won’t be any atheists in hell. Atheists are going to hell, but there won’t be any atheists in hell. Jess Moody said, ‘Old atheists never die; they just go to hell.’ But they won’t be atheists when they get there. There’s a perfect cure for doubt, and it’s time.”[2] It’s not that radical doubt that bothers me. It’s the kind that sneaks up on you at times. All of a sudden, you realize that you’ve been harboring doubt. How do you handle that doubt? I often relate to the father who came to Jesus, requesting that Jesus come to his home and heal his son. Jesus asked him if he believed He could really heal the boy. The man said yes, and Jesus told him to go home, and he would find the exact outcome he believed he would find. I relate to the father’s answer. He fell on his knees and cried, “I believe! I believe! Please help my unbelief.” Adams has a good answer for handling this kind of doubt. He calls for repentance. He writes, “What is the solution to the problem of doubt? Unlike many today who laud doubt as philosophically sophisticated, James considers doubt a moral matter and calls for the repentance of those who are double-minded about God and His Word.”[3] James will also call for repentance for doubters in a later passage. James 4:8 says, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

[1] Got Questions Ministries. 2002–2013. Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[2] Rogers, Adrian. 2017. “The Man of God.” In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive, 2 Ki 13:20–21. Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.

[3] Adams, Jay E. 2020. “Doubt.” In The Practical Encyclopedia of Christian Counseling, 57. Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies.

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James 1:6, Isaiah 26:3

An Anchor In Storms

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 7, 2023

It’s not easy to trust God and to maintain our conviction that He loves us and has our best interest foremost in mind when we are suffering. We need help to do that. James invites us to ask God for the wisdom we need to manage life’s pains with faith. He reminds us that God is always ready to help us with those struggles, but he also advises the person who needs help not to doubt God’s good intentions toward him. James 1:6 says, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

James uses one Greek word to refer to both trials and temptations. Both of these ideas tend to draw a believer away from trusting in God’s love and good intentions for them. A trial is when we lose something that we have. Job’s hardships were trials. He lost his possessions, his family, and his health. Trials make us ask God, “Why me, Lord?” It was a temptation when Adam and Eve were presented with the apple. They were encouraged to believe that God wanted to keep something good from them. When God tells us no, we are tempted to doubt God’s good intentions toward us. When God allows something that we have to be taken from us, we are tempted to doubt God’s good intentions toward us. The Greek word is the same word James uses for a trial and a temptation. As James advises, we should pray that God will give us the wisdom to understand trials and temptations for what they are. When James speaks to us about not doubting God, he’s speaking about trusting God through trials and temptations. No matter what we are going through, we must never doubt that God loves and cares for us. Holloway says, “To doubt that God will hear their requests for wisdom is to doubt his generosity and character. Such a doubter is like a wave blown by the wind, a common metaphor in ancient literature for indecision.”[1]

When James says we should have faith when we pray, he is not instructing us to have faith in having our prayer answered as we would like. He’s telling us to have faith or to trust in the one to whom we are praying. Faith is always the same. No matter how hard the wind blows, it is never wavering regarding God’s love and good intentions toward us. We are called to believe in God, not in getting the right answer to our prayer. Besides, we often don’t see what God has in mind for us in the end. Only God is omniscient. Mullins writes, “We often see only part of the picture in our own lives and are unable to see the end of the matter. We have all prayed fervently, with deep faith, for some dear one to be cured from a deadly disease, only to see them waste away and pass. We have prayed to be delivered from a personal crisis and then the burden only grows heavier. The sickness, death, and resurrection of Lazarus teaches us that God may be at work on a better thing than what we want Him to do. It teaches us God has His reasons for saying no, and his reasons are good.”[2] Faith is not believing that God exists. James is going to tell us that even the demons believe that. Faith is trusting God always to be positively disposed toward us through the trials and temptations of life. This kind of faith will be like an anchor to keep us firmly grounded through the storms of life. Isaiah 26:3 teaches us, “You (God) keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.”

[1] Holloway, Gary. 1996. James & Jude. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.

[2] Mullins, Philip. 1997. “Unanswered Prayer.” Edited by Paul Earnhart. Christianity Magazine, 1997.

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